An Early Rise
Our guide picked us up at 5.45am and we set off to the town to watch the monks giving alms; it was a very surreal site, watching the local people giving each monk a few bits of sticky rice to take back to the temple. It is very spiritual and many locals do this each day before sunrise.
After the almsgiving, we walked to the morning market; this is where the locals sell food, drink, home wares and clothing. We bought some coconut rice to try, which was interesting and probably the least terrifying thing available to buy. There were live ducks, chickens, frogs and insects all ready to be sold for food as well as, and what kind kind of put me off my breakfast, rat! It was basicaly a butterflied rat.....yuk!
After leaving the market, we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and some normal food!
After the museum, we took the mini-van to our final temple of the day, Wat Xieng Thong; it is one of Laos’ most picturesque temples. This temple was built in 1560 by King Setthathirat at the end of the peninsula close to the Mekong River and is considered to be one of the most important by the Laos people.
It was now 11am and we had to return to our hotel to check out before venturing to one of the best restaurants in Luang Prabang for lunch. We were both quite sad to leave the hotel and felt another day would have been good to relax. The restaurant overlooks the Nam Khan River and is also a famous cooking school. We had a taster lunch which consisted of chunky bamboo and vegetable soup, a platter accompanied with sticky rice and some exotic fruit for dessert. The platter was delicious and consisted of lemongrass chicken, Luang Prabang sausage, buffalo skin (like jerky), chilli jam, tomato sour dip, a peanut chilli dip, egg plant chilli dip and some river weed (with Garlic, chilli and tomato) which is actually delicious! The fruit platter was equally as weird and consisted of cucumber melon, dragon fruit, jujube fruit, sapodilla and tamarind; not so impressed with tamarind mind you! It’s the green lumpy thing which you crack open and have to scrape a jammy paste off the alien looking seeds. Bizarre!
We were quite relieved when we landed, not just because of the darkness, but it was so misty, you couldn’t see anything! We basically walked through passport control and picked up our luggage in 10 minutes, the joys of not requiring a visa! Our guide for north Vietnam met us in arrivals, his name is Luan and he reminds me of Mr Chow in the hangover. Our driver is called Mr Dinh and apparently he is one of the most experienced drivers with the company; I hope so because the traffic is mental. We spent most of the journey to the hotel straddling as many lanes as possible on the motorway and then literally skimming by motorbikes and other cars! It was a symphony of honking horns all around. It is also nearing lunar new year so Vietnam is even more crazy than normal.
It was a terrifying 60 minute journey but we made it to the hotel; it is a stunning colonial hotel found in the French Quarter. We are in a deluxe room and on arrival received some chocolate strawberries, chocolate mousse, fruit and tulips; the chocolate will have to wait until my stomach stops doing cartwheels though! Luan gave us a gift in the car which we opened in the room; I’m sure they represent husband and wife but we will check tomorrow!
We went for a wander, albeit on one side of the road only, found an ATM and returned to the safety of the hotel for a drink. Tomorrow will consist of a full day touring so another early bed for us.....
After the almsgiving, we walked to the morning market; this is where the locals sell food, drink, home wares and clothing. We bought some coconut rice to try, which was interesting and probably the least terrifying thing available to buy. There were live ducks, chickens, frogs and insects all ready to be sold for food as well as, and what kind kind of put me off my breakfast, rat! It was basicaly a butterflied rat.....yuk!
After leaving the market, we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and some normal food!
We met our guide again at 8.30am to go to the first temples of the day, Wat Mai and Wat Sensoukarahm; both beautiful but the latter has a beautiful golden facade. We then walked along to the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum, to hear about the history of Laos. The country is now a republic as they got rid of the monarchy in the 1970s; I can’t remember the exact date but the king was not thought of as a good leader and was exiled to France. Laos is now a communist country with one party so we had to be a little careful as to what we were saying in the government run museum. We did learn about the first Indochina war, the war that ensued when the French colonised Laos, and the second Indochina war, the war which we know in the west as the Vietnam war. We were told all about the land mines and how Britain were the first country to help clear the mines, and in particular Princess Diana.
After the museum, we took the mini-van to our final temple of the day, Wat Xieng Thong; it is one of Laos’ most picturesque temples. This temple was built in 1560 by King Setthathirat at the end of the peninsula close to the Mekong River and is considered to be one of the most important by the Laos people.
It was now 11am and we had to return to our hotel to check out before venturing to one of the best restaurants in Luang Prabang for lunch. We were both quite sad to leave the hotel and felt another day would have been good to relax. The restaurant overlooks the Nam Khan River and is also a famous cooking school. We had a taster lunch which consisted of chunky bamboo and vegetable soup, a platter accompanied with sticky rice and some exotic fruit for dessert. The platter was delicious and consisted of lemongrass chicken, Luang Prabang sausage, buffalo skin (like jerky), chilli jam, tomato sour dip, a peanut chilli dip, egg plant chilli dip and some river weed (with Garlic, chilli and tomato) which is actually delicious! The fruit platter was equally as weird and consisted of cucumber melon, dragon fruit, jujube fruit, sapodilla and tamarind; not so impressed with tamarind mind you! It’s the green lumpy thing which you crack open and have to scrape a jammy paste off the alien looking seeds. Bizarre!
After lunch, we headed to the airport to leave Laos for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. We flew with Lao Airlines in a propeller plane; the journey took about 70 minutes. It was a decent flight, at least I didn’t spend it filling in visa forms, but the food was awful! We got a box with water and what can only be described as a donut with pork stuffing inside! The landing was also weird, they didn’t just dim the cabin lights, they turned absolutely everything off!
We were quite relieved when we landed, not just because of the darkness, but it was so misty, you couldn’t see anything! We basically walked through passport control and picked up our luggage in 10 minutes, the joys of not requiring a visa! Our guide for north Vietnam met us in arrivals, his name is Luan and he reminds me of Mr Chow in the hangover. Our driver is called Mr Dinh and apparently he is one of the most experienced drivers with the company; I hope so because the traffic is mental. We spent most of the journey to the hotel straddling as many lanes as possible on the motorway and then literally skimming by motorbikes and other cars! It was a symphony of honking horns all around. It is also nearing lunar new year so Vietnam is even more crazy than normal.
It was a terrifying 60 minute journey but we made it to the hotel; it is a stunning colonial hotel found in the French Quarter. We are in a deluxe room and on arrival received some chocolate strawberries, chocolate mousse, fruit and tulips; the chocolate will have to wait until my stomach stops doing cartwheels though! Luan gave us a gift in the car which we opened in the room; I’m sure they represent husband and wife but we will check tomorrow!
We went for a wander, albeit on one side of the road only, found an ATM and returned to the safety of the hotel for a drink. Tomorrow will consist of a full day touring so another early bed for us.....
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